Suggestions for Nikon D40 Lenses

rtjdesign

rtjdesign

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Ryan
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Hey,

Right I have had my Nikon D40 since last summer now and I am still stuck with the standard 18-55mm lens and a 70-300mm manual focus Nikkor lens.

I was thinking about investing in something new, I am not sure what to go for I was wondering if it is worth getting A Fisheye or wide angle lens more or does anybody else have any suggestions that will benefit me more in the long run!

If anybody can recommend anything go ahead it will be taken on board.

Thanks
 
Depends on what you shoot, what your budget is and what you look for in a lens really.
 
As above, what's your budget? What kind of shots are you looking to take?

Fish-eye lenses have their place but I would be inclined to try one out before buying outright.
 
I like shooting close shots and want to get into Landscape photography just need some pointers really. My budget will be up to 200 probably (i know I am cheap but I am only 18) Is a zoom lens better than fixed lens?
 
If you're happy manual focussing then there are lots of older lenses available that will fit your camera for not a lot of money :thumbs:
 
50 mm 1.8 best pound for pound lens around.
 
Having scoured Ebay for lenses, I've seen used 18-70s going for less than 300.00. They're generally 450.00 brand new...
 
I wouldn't buy a wideangle personally, they're very expensive and you might well not get on with them - you can always pick up a cheap screw on adapter for your kit lens (in fact I think I've got one somewhere you can have for cheap) - the quality will be very poor, but you can at least get a feel for whether you like it. Same goes for some screw on macro filters if you like really close up stuff.

For general use I'd be very tempted by the new Nikon 35mm 1.8 prime - so much so that I'm going to buy one myself as soon as funds allow. It looks to be great quality, pretty fast and it'll autofocus on your camera which a lot of lenses won't. It'll also force you to think about composition more, although it might not be that good for landscapes.
 
Best bet would be see which lens you use most and what settings. If you find you regularly have the short lens on at 18mm, maybe a 10-20 wide angle would benefit you.
Alternatively if you're not close enough a longer lens will help.
Personally I've always been a fan of prime lens's.
For a mid range on your short lens, the new Nikon AF-S 35mm f1.8 G DX might be a good bet as it will still autofocus on the D40.
 
dore187 said:
50 mm 1.8 best pound for pound lens around.
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I'd say the 80-200 AF-D is far better value, pound for pound, more expensive, yes, but better value. The 50mm is certainly cheap (or it was) but as to whether it's good value, it's only good value if you can find a use for it.
 
b****r, in the 3 minutes it took me to write that I was beaten to it.
I guess 2 people suggesting the same lens is helpful though.
 
Hmm, I am interested in trying out filters I was looking at Macro and wide angle fish eye lenses the other day on ebay but I heard they are really poor but if it gets me a feel of it Could be worth it to make me decide what lens is best for the use it is going to get.

I would definitely want to stay with auto-focus as capturing moving objects has proved a pain for me and I don't have my tripod on me most of the time I find some really nice shots.
 
rtjdesign said:
Hmm, I am interested in trying out filters I was looking at Macro and wide angle fish eye lenses the other day on ebay but I heard they are really poor but if it gets me a feel of it Could be worth it to make me decide what lens is best for the use it is going to get.

I would definitely want to stay with auto-focus as capturing moving objects has proved a pain for me and I don't have my tripod on me most of the time I find some really nice shots.
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As I mentioned above Fish-eye lenses are a speciality lens...yes you can be creative but I would have thought unless you have a hard and fast need for one, it'll be in the camera bag before long.

I wouldn't rule out Manual Focus lenses if you are looking to get into landscape or macro - Auto Focus really isn't a necessity for these types of photography.
 
I see well my 70-300mm lens just gets thrown in the camera bag more often than not and never used mainly because of my dislike for the manual focus at a long distance and moving subjects = fail with me.

Maybe i could go inbetween, is there any lenses that are 20-120mm or AF?

And could someone please explain what all this AF-D AF-S Stuff means Because Nobody has ever told me.
 
AF-S lenses have their own motors, so they will autofocus on your D40. You could have a look at the 18-105 VR AF-S, about £200 will buy you a new one...
 
rtjdesign said:
I see well my 70-300mm lens just gets thrown in the camera bag more often than not and never used mainly because of my dislike for the manual focus at a long distance and moving subjects = fail with me.
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That's because long distance and moving subjects is hard to MF! Using MF on stationary subjects (i.e. Landscapes/Portraits/Macro) is a lot easier! :)
 
I will have a read of this I had a look at a few of the explanations on that site helped me explain a bit more. I don't get it Im in a photography course at college and we do not even got told how to set up a camera on manual! hah.
 
rtjdesign said:
I don't get it Im in a photography course at college and we do not even got told how to set up a camera on manual! hah.
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Shooting with manual lenses and using a D-SLR in manual mode are two entirely different things. :)
 
I constantly use my SLR in Manual mode, I get how to set it up so its all self taught and learning from my mates but we do not get taught anything in college just says "go take pictures"
 
After talking to a couple of people and thinking it over I am guessing a Fisheye would be best for me or a wide angle. I want something different than the normal shots. Ive always admired the qwerkyness of the distortion I would want to get a zoom one though not a fixed one.

Any reccomendations for that. Or Should i try a filter first?
 
I meant a wide angle zoom. and just a regular fisheye and I had a look at that hire website, expensive for a week could afford my own by the time ive tested all the lenses i would want to test haha!
 
rtjdesign said:
I meant a wide angle zoom. and just a regular fisheye and I had a look at that hire website, expensive for a week could afford my own by the time ive tested all the lenses i would want to test haha!
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So what kind of range are you looking for in a wide angle lens? You may struggle to get a decent AF lens within your budget tbh.

You can hire for less than a week if you wanted to. ;)
 
i used a 50mm and loved it but then used a 28mm and preferred the field of view so have now bought a 35mm f2. will be selling the 28mm soon-ish drop me a line if interested. manual focus e series f2.8 btw
 
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